The present invention relates generally to vehicle windows and in particular to controlling water flow from movable windows in vehicles.
For movable windows in vehicles, it is common for water to sometimes migrate past the window seals and then flow down along the glass into the interior of the door (or body as the case may be). The water that migrates inside the door may then drip off the glass onto window (and door) hardware. Typically, most of the water enters the door at the forward and rearward edges of the window glass, travels down the vertical glass edge, and then drops indiscriminately onto the window and door hardware (latches, regulator motors, etc.). Water dripping onto certain components may lead to premature failure due to corrosion or other water induced problems.
One way to combat this concern is to extend the bottom of the window glass downward near the forward and rear edges of the glass so the bottom edge of the glass gradually slopes downward toward both ends. This design attempts to keep the water along the front and rear edges of the glass and have the water drip from the front and rear edges. However, for some doors, a door check link or latch may be right under the vertical glass edge, so water would then drip off the glass at an undesirable location. Moreover, this solution adds to the weight of the window glass and may be difficult to accomplish due to space limitations when packaging the window glass in the door.
Other methods employed to combat the water migration concern and overcome the drawbacks of the glass extensions also have limited success. For example, C-shaped clips are sometimes bonded to the lower edge of the window glass to create a drip location. But these add cost, weight and assembly steps to the window/door assembly. Others have tried C-shaped sashes that run along the bottom of the window glass and attempt to act as a water barrier, but the sashes are not very effective in determining where the water will drip off and again add cost, weight and assembly time to the door/window assembly. Still another method is to glue a dam—a long extruded rubber strip shaped like a lip—along a side of the glass just above the bottom edge of the glass in order to try and divert the water drip to a desired location. Again, though, this adds cost, weight and assembly steps.